By Johnson Dike
A British owned aircraft operating commercial flights into Nigeria without approval has been impounded by The Federal Government.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, made this known on Sunday via his Twitter handle, @hadisirika.“COVID-19.
“Flair Aviation, a UK company, was given approval for humanitarian operations but regrettably, we caught them conducting commercial flights. This is callous! The craft is impounded, the crew being interrogated. There shall be maximum penalty. Wrong time to try our resolve,” the minister tweeted.
Sirika explained that in addition to impounding the aircraft, a “maximum penalty” would be imposed on the company for the breach of FG’s ban on commercial flights as part of measures to restrain the spread of COVID 19.
Nigeria’s airport were closed for commercial flights in March by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, as part of efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.